Top 10. In a recent mandate, this food-manufacturing company declared its intent to significantly increase the representation of women in its most elite positions by 2020 and to forge a strong connection between female executives worldwide. Diversity scorecards with goals around placing female employees in key roles help with this aim; impressively, women are 34% of all directors, 35% of corporate officers and 57% of retail division presidents. There are sponsorship initiatives that pair vice-president-and director-level advocates with promising female leaders in the manufacturing, information systems and engineering functions.

Chairman & CEO: Ken Powell

Senior VP, Global HR: Mike Davis

% of senior managers who are women: 37%

% of corporate executives who are women: 38%

% of the top 10% of the company’s earners who are women: 36%

% of corporate executives with profit-and-loss responsibility who are women: 28%

% of the executives running divisions with revenues of more than a billion dollars who are women: 57%

% of executives who report directly to the CEO who are women: 17%

% of the members of the board of directors who are women: 31%